More Sex! That is what Minister Jose Temporao suggests as the remedy to the problem. According to him, adults should be exercising more to aid in keeping their blood pressure down and sex falls in the realm of a god cardiovascular workout – “always with protection, obviously.”

In addition to sex, he recommends dancing, a healthy diet and regular blood-pressure checks.

“People need to be active. A weekend football game must not be the only physical activity for a Brazilian. Adults need to do exercise: walk, dance and have safe sex,” he said.

Temporao made his announcements on Monday, as he launched a campaign to prevent high-blood-pressure, which affects a quarter of Brazil’s 190-million population. While it may seem an odd request, Temporao is serious and had to defend his statements later to reporters.

“It’s not a joke. It’s serious. Having regular physical exercises also means sex, always with protections of course,” the minister said.